Apple is expanding its age rating system for apps. The company on Thursday said it has updated its age rating system to add 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings to the existing slate of 4+ and 9+ ratings, and remove the 12+ and 17+ age ranges. In addition, app developers will need to answer a new set of age rating questions to help identify the sensitive content in their app. Developers will also be able to update their apps’ age ratings to one of the new options, if needed.
The company says it has automatically updated all apps and games across the App Store to align with the new system, which is available in the beta versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26. The public betas went live yesterday, and the general release will roll out this September to all customers.
As part of the updated system, developers will need to inform Apple about their in-app controls and app capabilities, answer questions about medical and wellness topics, and disclose whether their app or game contains violent themes. Apple will then calculate the appropriate age rating, which developers can view and modify in App Store Connect.
The ratings are intended to offer parents more specific guidance about the apps their kids want to download, and will prevent kids from installing apps that exceed their age range. On Apple’s side, the App Store also won’t feature certain apps in areas like the editorial stories, Today, Games, and Apps tabs if they’re not age-appropriate for the child using the device.
The expanded age ranges are part of a broader update around child safety initiatives announced earlier this year. For parents, Apple is making it easier to set up child accounts and share information about their kids’ ages. This data will be shared with app developers to help provide age-appropriate content. (Some of the changes for child accounts were first made available in the public beta of 18.4, out earlier this year.)
App Store product listings will also be updated to include more information to help guide guardians’ decisions about whether or not an app or game is right for their child or teen. For instance, guardians will be informed if the app features user-generated content or ads, both of which could expose younger children to adult content. Plus, they’ll be informed if an app offers built-in parental controls.
Increasing an app’s age rating could reduce its visibility and distribution, which could encourage app developers to introduce parental controls or other age-appropriate experiences.
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The changes to the App Store arrive as legislative disputes grow at both the state and federal levels about how children should be protected online, with U.S. states introducing new bills and laws that would require app store operators to check kids’ ages to get parental consent for downloading apps. Apple and Google would prefer that the app makers themselves handle the age-verification process, but larger tech companies like Meta have lobbied for app stores to do the verification.
Apple’s solution is a system that will protect the child’s personal information, like their birth date, by offering a developer API that gives them access to the age range information they need to customize their app experience appropriately. Because this information would be provided by the parent during the set-up of a new device, it’s more likely to be accurate than if kids entered their birthday or age into an app directly, as kids may lie about their age to access an app’s full experience.
However, for this to work, developers will have to opt to integrate with the new API.
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